Head first C

Name: Head first C
ISBN: 9781449399917

by David Griffiths · first published 2012

8mentions

5recommended by

6HN commenters

2015–2022first – last mentioned

83% recommend17% neutral

Why HN recommends it

Casual, game-like intro to C that covers basics plus system calls, signals, processes and pipes, and drives concepts home through exercises; suits people who already know another language and find dense C texts tiring.

Summarised by Claude from recommending comments

Programming

Learn key topics such as language basics, pointers and pointer arithmetic, dynamic memory management, multithreading, and network programming. Learn how to use the compiler, the make tool, and the archiver.

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View on Open Library ISBN 9781449399917

Mentions per year

What Hacker News says

bmitc · Oct 8, 2022 · Recommends

I highly recommend Head First C. Don’t be taken aback by its appearance. It’s an excellent book that drives the concepts home.
on “Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?” ↗
brudgers · Apr 7, 2015 · Recommends

…an audience approximating their coworkers at Bell Labs - people with experience in Assembly language. A book I would recommend, particularly if Zed Shaw's Learn the Hard Way does not appeal to you is Head First C.[1] The underlying pedagogy of programmed instruction is similar. The exercises are more diverse, the tone is lighter, and the overall presentation more approachable. Good luck. [1]: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920015482.do
on “Ask HN: Should I use K&R to learn C?” ↗
satysin · Sep 11, 2016 · Recommends

…opinion - (in order from beginner) * C Programming Absolute Beginner's Guide by Perry and Miller * C Programming A Modern Approach by King * Programming in C by Kochan * C Primer Plus by Prata * Head First C by Griffiths & Griffiths * 21st Century C by Klemens * Understanding and Using C Pointers by Reese * Expert C Programming - Deep C Secrets by van der Linden
on ““Learn C the Hard Way” is no longer available for free” ↗
ndesaulniers · Jun 1, 2015 · Recommends

My recommendations (I've read a lot of C books), I think you can get away with just these two: * Head First C - David Griffiths * Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets - Peter Van Der Linden
on “C for high level programmers (slides)” ↗
ndesaulniers · Sep 19, 2019 · Recommends

My two favorite C books are: Head First C by Griffiths and Griffiths and Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets by van der Linden
on “Modern C, Second Edition” ↗
ndesaulniers · Mar 9, 2020 · Recommends

I work on Clang and the Linux kernel. JavaScript was the first language I feel I've mastered, before C. Of the many C books I have and have read, I only recommend 2: Head First C by Griffiths and Griffiths Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets by van der Linden The first is an excellent introduction, especially if you treat it as a workbook. The second is a great intermediate…
on “Ask HN: How do I learn C properly?” ↗
lioeters · Apr 15, 2020 · Recommends

…a similar situation as the parent comment, wanting to re-learn C after more than a decade (or two). Thanks for the link to a recent discussion! For the parent, here are some of the recommended books: Head First C - Griffiths and Griffiths Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets - Peter van der Linden Modern C - Jens Gustedt C Programming: A Modern Approach - K. N. King 21st Century C: C Tips from the New School…
on “Tell HN: C Experts Panel – Ask us anything about C” ↗
epalmer · Nov 20, 2017 · Mentions

…College called Software Systems. > Most students taking this class learned to program in Python, so one of the goals is to help them learn C. For that part of the class, I use Griffiths and Griffiths, Head First C, from O'Reilly Media. This book is meant to complement that one. > Few of my students will ever write an operating system, but many of them will write low-level applications in C, and some of them will…
on “Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics Made Simple (2012)” ↗